


Hell of a Birthday

by queen_scribbles



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-20 10:45:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17021217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_scribbles/pseuds/queen_scribbles
Summary: To say Shepard's birthday isn't going as planned would be ahugeunderstatement





	Hell of a Birthday

 

This was not, Emily reflected morosely, how she thought she’d be spending her birthday. Kaidan being there was about right, but the _trapped in prefab housing, being hunted by biotic extremists_ part was very much not.

“Thoughts?” she murmured to Kaidan, He was standing by the lone window and thus had a better handle on the lay of the land.

“I don’t know, Shepard,” he sighed. “There’s almost a dozen of them out there and they all look pissed.”

“They find our shuttle yet?” Emily asked, one hand tugging her ponytail as she counted thermal clips. Six. 

“Doesn’t look like it,” Kaidan replied. “But they’re alert enough there’s no way we’re getting to it without a fight, so that’s a moot point.”

Emily paced across the small unit as she thought. “Am I the only one who wants to give a piece of my mind to whoever thought we’d have better luck on this mission than anyone else who’s tried?”

“We _have_ fared well with biotics before,” Kaidan reminded her quietly.  “Unfortunately, I think some people forget we aren’t a hive mind.”

“Well, considering you and I are the ones it’s biting on the ass this time, I’m still annoyed.” She sighed. “Kaidan, I really don’t want to have to kill these people. It’ll further convince them we see them as the enemy and only want to exterminate them and whatever other delusions they’ve cooked up for themselves. i wish they would’ve just talked to us.”

“I know.” Kaidan shot her a sympathetic smile. “Me, too. But you more than anyone know that things don’t always go the way we want.”

Emily nodded, tucking hair fallen from her ponytail back behind her ears. “I know.” She bit her lip. “What odds would you give us of making it to the shuttle if we just run for it?”

Kaidan peered out at the circling biotics. “Not great. Like i said, they’re pissed and out for blood. And there’s enough of them our odds of sneaking out are even worse.”

“How long d’you think before they find us?”

“Depends on how long it takes them to get tired of waiting for us to show ourselves and start actively looking.”

“But soon as they do that, we’re screwed anyway.” Emily gestured around the prefab unit. “I mean, unless one of us will fit in that toolbox, there’s nowhere to hide. I feel like we should run for it. There’s no environmental hazards to speak of, the air is breathable, so thee’s not a time limit on outdoor exposure or anything. We just both put up barriers and run like hell, I think we can make the shuttle.”

Kaidan shot her a questioning look. “That’s... kind of reckless for you, Shepard.”

“Not really.” Emily looked over at him. “Where do you think we have better odds? In a cramped prefab where they can’t possibly miss, or out in the open?” _Plus, I really don’t want to spend my birthday in here._

Kaidan was still looking at her like he knew she wasn’t telling the whole truth. But finally he nodded. “I see your point. Do you think we should split up, make them divide their forces?”

Emily shook her head. “I’d rather face a dozen of them with you watching my back than half that on my own.”

“Again, see your point.” He studied the people outside for a little longer. “Okay, they’re walking circles, like a patrol. If we wait three more minutes and then hook out the east side of the compound before arcing back toward the shuttle, I think that’ll give us the biggest head start.”

She handed him three of the clips fro his pistol, slotting one into her own gun. “Got it.”

The two of them waited in tense silence for the time to pass and hole to appear in the patrol. When the moment arrived, Kaidan nodded, Emily punched the door controls, and they made a run for it. Emily didn’t pause, didn’t look back--even as she heard the hue and cry rise behind them.

“Just go!” Kaidan hissed behind her, grunting as something impacted against his barrier.

Concern for him almost made her turn around, but she was too worried about tripping on the rocky ground if she didn’t watch her feet. “I’m going!”

 She aimed her gun behind them and fired blindly at their pursuers. There was a curse and the sound of someone stumbling as one of her shots actually hit something.

_That was lucky,_ Emily thought. She fixed her gaze on the hill she was barreling towards. She could curve around the far side of it, that would shield her from some of the gunfire and biotic attacks being aimed at them, and start her arc back to the shuttle.

Unfortunately, the extremists caught on to her plan. The closer she got to the hill, the more desperately they attacked. Finally, just before she reached a point that would have granted at least partial safety, a biotically enhanced bullet tore through Emily’s barrier and armor both. She yelped--more in surprise than pain--as it sliced into her side. The pain hit a fraction of a second later and took her to her knees. The resulting tumble made it hurt even worse.

She’d barely stopped rolling before she felt Kaidan’s hand on her arm, “Shepard, come on!” He pulled her up with one hand, the other shoving a wave of biotic power at their pursuers. In the moment that bought them, he recognized Emily wouldn’t be able to move fast enough on her own, and easily hauled her up over his shoulders before continuing to run for the shuttle.

It was in sight now, she could see it if she craned her head. They could make it. They could.

Emily pulled Kaidan’s pistol from its spot on his belt--she’d dropped hers when she fell--and started taking shaky potshots at what remained of their pursuit. Each recoil made her side hurt, but Kaidan had his hands full with her. It was only she ran defense.

“Almost there,” Kaidan reported through gritted teeth. His grip on her shifted as he punched in a command on his omnitool.

They were so close she could hear the hiss of hydraulics as the door swung up. Kaidan let her down gently as he could on the shuttle floor and slammed his fist into the door controls. Before it had even closed all the way, he was perched on the pilot’s seat, spinning up the engines and waiting for the autopilot light to go green.

Emily dragged herself on one elbow until she had a good shot through the rapidly narrowing gap under the door and fired off a whole clip as deterrent. Focusing on something kept her head from spinning, and if she could just keep it together a little longer...

Kaidan muttered something under his breath, then grunted in satisfaction and hit the autopilot. The engines whined as the shuttle went airborne, on course back to the Normandy. As it rose smoothly through the atmosphere, Kaidan pushed off the seat and knelt next to Emily. “Shepard, let me see.”

“It’s... not that bad,” she panted, shaking her head. The motion made him double and swim before her eyes, and her side spiked with pain, as if eager to make a liar out of her. “...ow...”

“Shepard? Shepard!” Kaidan was beyond worried, calling up his omnitool, working off her armor. “Shepard, stay with me!”

_I’d love to..._ The thought circled in her head, but she couldn’t find the energy to actually say it.  Her vision started to darken and Emily blinked in an effort to keep awake, but it was a losing battle.

“ _Emily_! Just hang on! A few more...”

The rest of what he was saying was lost as the darkness won.

<O>

She woke in the Normandy’s medbay, head and side both aching. “...Ow.”

“That sounds about right,” Dr. Chakwas said with a motherly smile. “Good to see you still number among the living, Commander.”

“Feels like just barely,” Emily mumbled.

“You’re not far off,” the doctor said. “If it wasn’t for Kaidan, you wouldn’t.”

“I know.” Emily rubbed her side, feeling the tug of fresh-set medigel. “Where is he?”

“Giving the mission report to Admiral Hackett. He promised to come down as soon as he finished. He’ll be happy to see you’re awake.”

“That’s an understatement,” Kaidan said, quiet but frank, as he entered the room.

“I’ll give you two a minute,” Dr. Chakwas said, slipping from the room.

Emily and Kaidan simply stared at each other for a moment, neither sure what to say.

Kaidan figured it out first. “Don’t scare me like that.”

“Much as I would love to make that promise, you know I can’t,” Emily said, picking at the sheets. “Not in our line of work.”

“Can you at least try?” he compromised, sitting on the edge of her bed.

“That I can do,” she nodded, reaching out with one hand to cover his. “Thanks for carrying me.”

Kaidan half-smiled, concern still lingering in his eyes. “I owed you one. For Virmire.” He turned his hand so he could hold hers and was quiet for a long moment. “So when were you going to tell me today is your birthday?”

“When we got back from the mission,” Emily replied, twirling a lock of hair with her free hand. “Figured we could spend the rest of the day watching vids in my cabin or cuddling or something.”

“I’m sure Dr. Chakwas won’t mind if you get bedrest in in your own bed,” Kaidan said pragmatically. “Sorry your birthday’s turning out not so great.”

Emily shrugged. “Still not my worst one. But let’s not worry about that and get back to making this one better.”

He hesitated the barest fraction of a second before smiling. “Okay. Any ideas?”

“Oh, a couple. Top of the list would be a good kiss from my favorite guy in the galaxy.”

“Well, okay,” he deadpanned. “I’ll go get Garrus, but I don’t know how he’ll react-”

Emily rolled her eyes and whacked his arm. “I meant you, you jerk, and you know it.”

Kaidan leaned forward and kissed the end of her nose. “Like that?”

She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him back in so she could kiss the smirk off his face. “Like that,” she corrected.

“You’re right, that is batter,” Kaidan chuckled, hand cupping the nape of her neck as he came back for more.

<O>

When Dr. Chakwas returned, she was easily persuaded to let Emily rest in her own cabin, with Kaidan and her vid collection for company. So that’s exactly what she did. And, on the whole, it wasn’t a bad birthday. Sure, the first part had been a little rough, but the rest more than made up for it.


End file.
